The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Genesis 50:15-20 (day seven)  

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. Gen 50:20

I am sure that Satan rejoiced the moment that Joseph was thrown into the pit. I’m sure he laughed thinking he had won this battle, but the story wasn’t finished yet. God meant it for good. We have seen this in our own lives. There are those “God, what are doing?” moments where we are unable to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It seems as if God has abandoned us and neglected our prayers. It seems like Satan won. Sometimes it takes hours, sometimes it takes years, but there is usually a point where you look back and you see that it was God working all along. He was leading you through the valley of the shadow death so that you might come out on the other side stronger and that there was no other way to explain it than He was in control.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Rom 8:28

Re:Verse passage – Genesis 50:15-20(day six)

¹⁹ But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? Genesis 50:19

Notice Joseph’s reason for forgiveness. He did not dismiss their betrayal and cruelty. He did not say, “let bygones be bygones,” or “don’t worry about it.” A confession and ask for forgiveness does not mean the sin magically disappears. Joseph could forgive because he placed justice in God’s hands.

Forgiveness never happens in a vacuum; sin is always due justice. What’s true for Joseph is true for us, we forgive not by forgetting about the offense but by entrusting justice to God. This makes the basis of Joseph’s forgiveness and ours the same: Jesus.

Re:Verse passage – Genesis 50:15-20(day five) “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.”

Did you notice the use the of same word to describe the actions of the brothers and the actions of God? (Meant)
The brothers intended and planned for their actions against Joseph. And from the beginning of time, God intended and planned for their actions to bring Him glory and them good.  There was no surprise or reaction from God. This was His planned intention all along. God didn’t react and “use” their actions (if somehow He was caught off guard or surprised). He meant. Now another example…
Read Isaiah 53. The sin and evil of Herod, Pilate, many others was not random. It was proactively intended by them and by God.

“There is no gospel, there is no salvation, if God cannot, in perfect holiness, govern the acts of sinful men.” – John Piper

Re:Verse passage – Genesis 50:15-20 (day four)

I’ve always thought of Joseph as one of the most earnest characters in the Bible. He is sincere in his walk with the Lord, and you can count on him to say exactly what he means (with varying degrees of tact). He is serious and purposeful as he goes about the Lord’s business.

His brothers, on the other hand, are manipulative and jealous. They’ll lie and cheat to get what they want. Because of them, Joseph’s life was riddled with bitter trials. But for every trial, God turned that situation around into a blessing for Joseph. Because Joseph remained faithful to God and walked in obedience, he saw the restorative power of God’s hand. When Joseph looked back on his life, he saw the blessings and faithfulness of God, rather than the trials and unfairness of his family.

When the time came, Joseph was able to forgive his family. God had shown him his restorative power his entire life, so how could he not choose restoration now? This kind of grace is only possible when we walk closely with the Lord, the One who promises to restore the years the locusts have eaten.

Re:Verse passage – Genesis 50:15-20 (day three)

“And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.”

Joseph’s brothers didn’t merely invoke God, but “the God of your father.” Their hopes hung on the appeal to their father Jacob as the last bulwark against disaster. Jacob had held the family together all these years, but he was gone. Now what? Death is an inflection point for families. How will life go on? Who will protect us from each other? Who will anchor the family? Will we just drift apart? Families will develop a delicate balance – often on the shoulders of one individual – so they can navigate the world with the least amount of agony. But the Bible reveals that families can learn a new way. Sometimes, one person’s risking tenderness, like Joseph did in his reply, will begin to move people from isolation to intimacy.

Re:Verse passage – Genesis 50:15-20 (day two)  

But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? vs. 19

Joseph’s brothers have a natural reaction in their predicament. Their understanding of forgiveness was not grounded in a relationship with the Lord, so it is understandable that they thought that with their father out of the way, things would turn. I’m this way, and I’m probably in good company. Conditional forgiveness, is not forgiveness. Either we are forgiven or we are not. This is the promise of Jesus. Aren’t you grateful that he doesn’t treat us this way. Always looking over your shoulder waiting for the other shoe to drop. We cannot begin to move forward if we are always looking back. Joseph gave us the first real picture of this.

Re:Verse passage – Genesis 50:15-20 (day one)

Join us as Senior Pastor Chris Johnson, Associate Pastor Aaron Hufty, and Associate Pastor Bryan Richardson walk us through Genesis 50:15-20 in our Spring Re:Verse Series: “Unlocking The Old Testament.”

Re:Verse passage – Genesis 22:1-18 (day seven)

Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.” 22:14

God is our provider. He always provides what we need when we need it. Abraham knew that God had promised Issac to carry on his family legacy. Yet, he was patient when it appeared like God was taking that away. If I were in that spot, I do not think I would have had that resolve. I think I would have been questioning God, “Isn’t there another way?!” Not Abraham. He had a firm conviction that God would provide no matter what.

The question is, do you have the patience to wait for God’s promises in your own life? We often get impatient with God when things do not begin to go the way we had planned. We know these two things to be true: God is our provider and God is a good Father. A good father is going to provide good gifts for His children (Matthew 7:7-11). We need to be patient even when it appears that our good gifts might be taken away. Our Good Father will provide.

Re:Verse passage – Genesis 22:1-18 (day six)

Hebrews 10:4
⁴ For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Romans 3:25-26
²⁵ For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,²⁶ for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

The ram God provided on Mount Moriah did not take away Abraham’s sin, but it was a foreshadowing of the Lamb of God who would.

Jesus was God’s provision for Abraham and for us.